Foxhunting Enhances School Curriculum in Aiken

Walter Cheatham, MFH of the Edisto River Hounds in Aiken, South Carolina is a ninth and tenth grade history and science teacher at Mead Hall Episcopal School there. A proponent of interactive cross curriculum teaching away from the classroom, Cheatham and a like-minded English teacher, Donna DeTroye, took twelve students on a field trip to learn about foxhunting, a sport with centuries of history and a rich body of literature.

“It brings learning to life,” said DeTroye.

The students had been reading literature pertaining to foxhunting and absorbing history through three centuries, with foxhunting as the consistent narrative thread.

Cheatham, of course, has the additional motive of wishing to expose the younger generation to the sport of which he is passionate.

“If you can show it to the younger generations, and one or two of these twelve students will say, ‘I really want to do that,’” said Cheatham, “they’ll teach their kids and preserve the sport we love.”

For more details, read Ben Baugh’s article in the Aiken Standard.